Family, Friends and Fireflies: KidLit Confections Morir Soñando Cookies

(The recipe, including a link to the index of printable PDF files, can be found at the bottom of this post.)

This blog post was originally shared on 24 June 2020-- I have updated it slightly to make this recipe an official part of my #KidLitConfections series!

In last week's #KidLitChat on bluesky.social.com, the conversation was all about staying organized and keeping current. As always, when the topic of organization comes up, I start feeling guilty about all of the ways I'm NOT organized in a neurotypical kind of way. They** say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but my neurospicy brain doesn't work that way. As soon as I form a "habit" (when I've been doing something regularly enough that it becomes a part of my routine that I don't have to think about), I forget that it's a thing and I have to start all over again. Even remembering to feed myself regularly isn't a given (as those of you who participate in #KidLitChat may have already noticed)! So I tend to get down on myself when I realize it's been a while since I posted. And I periodically consider deleting the blog part of my website to eliminate the stress of trying to remember to post regularly.

But I never do, because I love sharing bits of myself with you in this informal story form. Especially when I get to talk about KidLit, connections, and recipes.

Yes, I have an "about me" page on my website. But to really know about me, you have to know about my brain tumor. And the way I get unbelievably excited about little things. And my absolute love of books, with all the ways they help me make sense of my world. And the way I can make a surprisingly delicious cookie out of literally everything.* 

And the way my friends and family are my entire world.

So this post has a little bit of all of the things that make me love being here.

A book:

If you haven't yet read GHOST SQUAD by Claribel Ortega, you should really rectify this situation immediately. It's amazing!

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late. 

This is a REALLY fun book with lots of laugh-out-loud moments, two best friends who are the absolute definition of "friendship goals," and an adorable cat that probably everyone who reads it wants to adopt in real life. But more than that, it's a book about family, both biological and the family we find along the way. And it's about those connections that last forever. Even beyond the grave. 

Lucely's fireflies felt so familiar to me in so many ways. I don't often get a chance to see and chat with my deceased ancestors, but I know they are there for me, lifting and helping me when I need their strength. Like when my Grandpa came to sit with me through my radiation treatments. And whether you believe in those beyond-the-grave connections or not, I think we can all agree that our families shape who we are and how we see the world. I'm so glad that I got to be a part of Lucely's world for a little while!

A connection (or two):

Claribel Ortega is one of the sweetest, fiercest human beings I have ever met. She is quite vocal in her support of her friends. She's not shy about standing up for what's right, even when I know it's really difficult for her to do sometimes. And she's really good at reminding me that I'm worthwhile. I count myself lucky that I got to know her before she was famous! (She reminds me a lot of Syd, Lucely's amazingly fierce, sweet, and funny best friend in GHOST SQUAD.)

Side note: Since I originally wrote this post nearly 4 years ago, Clairbel has written several other books, and you should go check out her entire collection!--The third book in her Witchlings series comes out in October of 2024!

I fell in love with the GHOST SQUAD story when she mentioned it just briefly way back when we first met all those years ago. (I'm not even sure if she had started writing it yet, or if she was just still playing with the idea.) So of course I had to get a copy as soon as it was available. I dove into the story full of expectations. Which character would I love the most? Would I fall in love with Chunk, as so many of the lucky folks who got to read advance copies did? Would I identify with Lucely? Or Syd? (For the record, Tia Milagros is my favorite!) I didn't expect my favorite part of the book to happen in the first chapter. But when Lucely sat down to a breakfast that included pitchers of fresh juice and morir soñando, I literally squealed with delight!

I didn't grow up with the amazingness that is morir soñando on my breakfast table. I didn't know what it was until a few years ago, when Hermana Ward, one of the missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who was in the Maryland Baltimore Mission back in 2016/17 (and another one of my favorite humans) gave me a cookie challenge: "There's an amazing Dominican drink called morir soñando that literally translates as 'to die dreaming.' Can you make that drink in cookie form?"

Well, first I had to get to know the drink. And oh my goodness! Yum!! If you haven't had this on your tastebuds, you absolutely need to fix that situation now. 

Go ahead. 

I'll wait. 

See what I mean? It's fantabulous, isn't it???

So I knew the cookies representing the drink had to be flippin' phenomenal, or they would never live up to the hype. (And if you would like to access the printable PDF with this recipe, here is your reminder that the link is at the bottom of this post, and the password you'll need to access the PDF from the #KidLitConfections Recipe Index page is: WeNeedDiverseBooks)

Most of the recipes I create are all about simplicity. For this one, I pulled out all the stops. It's a bit more complex, and definitely a special-occasion treat, but literally every single person who has ever tried these cookies has fallen in love with them. (One of my friends even asked if she could lick the plate when they were all eaten!) -- And all these years later, in 2024, these are still one of the best cookies I have ever made.

So... in honor of two of my favorite humans, and one of my favorite Middle Grade books, I present to you...

A recipe:

Morir Soñando Cookies

Orange Cookie 

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

¾ c. thawed orange juice concentrate

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. orange extract (opt.)

¼ c. cornstarch

4 c. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF flour

Cream butter and sugar together. 

Add eggs, orange juice, soda, salt, cornstarch, and orange extract, as desired. 

Beat until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes on high). 

Stir in flour, just until fully incorporated. 

Drop by teaspoon-sized scoops (I use a small cookie scoop to make sure they're all the same size, but you can just use a spoon, if you want) onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vanilla Buttercream

½ c. butter

½ tsp. vanilla

1 c. powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl, until light and fluffy. Frost cookies.

Orange Glaze

¾ c. thawed orange juice concentrate

¼ c. butter, cut into pieces

Boil orange juice concentrate down to ¼ c. syrup.

Beat in butter (I use a rubber spatula and beat it in by hand, but you can use a mixer if you like). 

Chill slightly. (15-20 minutes--just enough so that it won't melt the frosting) Then, drizzle over frosted cookies. 

Serve right away, or place back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze for later. (I actually love these right out of the freezer. They're soft enough that they can be eaten frozen, and one of my friends described them as a "Creamsicle on Crack.")

Printable PDF Recipes

**I still don't know who "they" are, but "they" also say it takes 8 weeks ... or 10 weeks ... or 66 days ... or a few months to form a habit ... there are lots of different time frames given as hard-and-fast-facts on this topic. Because everyone who claims to know all about the best way to form habits seems to be absolutely confident that their method and time frame is THE way to do it. None of them really seem to take the neurospicy brain chemistry into account.

*disclaimer: I haven't actually yet tried literally everything in my cookie-making adventures, because there are about a zillion ingredients in the world ... but I have managed to succeed so far in every challenge that I have been given. And I've been given a lot of challenges over the years!! So I'm gonna claim that "literally" and wear it with pride.

Easy as Pie: KidLit Confections Chocolate Walnut Pie

(The recipes, including a link to the index of printable PDF files, can be found at the bottom of this post.)

Why do we say something is "easy as pie" when most bakers would argue that pies are definitely not one of the easiest things to make? Some people spend their whole lives trying to perfect their pie crust recipes, arguably the most difficult part of making a pie. Cutting the fat into the flour to just the right consistency. Adding the water and mixing just enough to bind it without making it tough... pie crust is in some ways the epitome of baking science, and most bakers will tell you that pie is one of the most difficult things you can make.

I was lucky. My mom taught me a pie crust recipe when I was just learning how to bake that had so many shortcuts and tricks...one that, if you followed the steps correctly, resulted in the most flaky and beautiful pie crust--one that got gobbled up by everyone who tasted my mom's apple pie.* I grew up thinking that "easy as pie" made sense, because as far as I knew, pie was probably the easiest dessert you could make! I had no idea how privileged I was. It wasn't until I grew up and took some cooking classes (and watched a LOT of the Food Network) that I realized the "right" way to make a pie crust was both much more difficult and (if I'm being honest) often less delicious than the "cheater" pie crust I was used to. 

Still, once I learned how to do things the "right" way, I couldn't help feeling like an imposter. Here, I was doing something that I thought was easy, and I got the results I wanted...but I did it "wrong." How could I honestly call myself a good baker, if I didn't even know how to do things right? (Turns out, most of the things I'm best at baking or cooking, I do "wrong." I would totally be kicked off of Master Chef in the first round, because I don't know any of those proper techniques--but I would possibly rock a show like Cutthroat Kitchen, where they take away the tools/ingredients for doing things properly and make you figure out how to make a dish without them...)

And it will surprise no one at this point that this contemplation of my favorite easy/not easy dessert reminds me of books and writing and the things we tell ourselves when we're trying to figure out how to live our best lives. 

A couple of weeks ago, in #KidLitChat, a group of us were discussing favorite writing craft books and systems for moving forward on a work in progress. I admitted that I don't really read books about how to write. I've tried. So many times. Because it's the first question people always ask when you get a group of writers together: "What are your favorite books on the craft of writing?" That's when I always pull myself off to the fringes of the crowd and hope that no one notices that I'm not saying anything. Because as soon as I start reading a craft book, my stubborn "you can't tell me what to do!" personality digs in its heels, and I don't want to write at all. Suddenly, this thing that brings me joy and passion like no other feels like homework. And I don't want to do it. 

BUT a library full of books is a master class in immersive, hands-on story creation. If you give me a stack of picture books, I will absolutely devour them over and over again, analyzing every word and phrase--what is said, what isn't, and why?--poring over the pictures and watching how the text and illustrations play off of each other... Or give me a stack of middle grade novels, and I'll analyze the character interactions and plot pacing. I'll dive so deep into the story that it's sometimes nearly impossible to extract myself again when I reach the end. And then I'll go back and study the ways that this author made that unloveable main character feel so very relatable. Or or that author painted a setting so real I could smell the cookies baking in the oven...

It's not that I'm not learning the craft. I'm not writing "cheater" stories any more than my pie crust (or chocolate mousse, or cookies, or ... pretty much everything I cook) is "wrong." It's just a different way of doing things. Because we all have different ways of doing things. And just because someone (or even a LOT of someones) does it another way ... that doesn't mean your way is the wrong way. My neurodivergent brain needs to try things out and see how they work. My best friend's neurotypical brain loves to have a set system to use as her scaffolding. Neither approach (to writing, or to life) is bad. 

And honestly, aren't we glad that there are so many different ways to make a pie?

On that note, some of my favorite recent reads mention pies and cooking--and being courageous. (Bonus: each of these books includes one or more recipes!!)

 And if you would like to access the printable PDF with this recipe, here is your reminder that the link is at the bottom of this post, and the password you'll need to access the PDF from the #KidLitConfections Recipe Index page is: WeNeedDiverseBooks

Fatima Tate Takes the Cake
by Khadijah VanBrakle

Fatima Tate wants to be a baker AND enjoy some innocent flirting with her hot friend Raheem--but her strict Muslim parents would never approve of either...

Seventeen-year-old Fatima Tate, aspiring baker (100% against her conservative parents' wishes), leads a pretty normal life in Albuquerque: long drives with BFF Zaynab, weekly services at the mosque, big family parties, soup kitchen volunteering (the best way to perfect her flaky dough recipe!), stressing about college...

But everything changes when she meets a charming university student named Raheem. Knowing the 'rents would FREAK, Fatima keeps their burgeoning relationship a secret... and then, one day, her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Amazing! True serendipity! 

Except it's not amazing. As soon as the ring is on Fatima's finger, Raheem's charm transforms into control and manipulation. Fatima knows she has to call the whole thing off, but Raheem doesn't like to lose. He threatens to reveal their premarital sexual history and destroy her and her family's reputation in their tight-knit Muslim community.

Fatima must find the inner strength to blaze her own trail by owning her body, her choices, and her future. Combining the frank authenticity of Elizabeth Acevedo and the complex social dynamics of Ibi Zoboi, FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE is a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.

Pie in the Sky
by Remy Lai

A poignant, laugh-out-loud illustrated middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old boy's immigration experience, his annoying little brother, and their cake-baking hijinks! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang!

When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he's landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn't speak English, and he's often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao.

To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.

In her hilarious, moving middle-grade debut, Remy Lai delivers a scrumptious combination of vibrant graphic art and pitch-perfect writing that will appeal to fans of Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends, Kelly Yang's Front Desk, and Jerry Craft's New Kid.

A Junior Library Guild selection!

Porcupine's Pie
by Laura Renauld and Jennie Poh

Already a Thanksgiving classic, Porcupine's Pie is a heartwarming story about embracing thankfulness and generosity when things don't go as planned.

Porcupine can't wait to share Fall Feast with her woodland friends, so when everyone she greets is unable to bake their specialty due to a missing ingredient, Porcupine generously offers staples from her pantry. When Porcupine discovers that she, too, is missing a key ingredient, the friends all work together to create a new Fall Feast tradition. Porcupine's Pie will inspire children ages 4-8 to act generously. A recipe for "friendship pie" can be found at the end of the book.

Chocolate Walnut Pie

 

1 unbaked pie crust

1 c. dark corn syrup

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, softened (NOT melted)

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. chopped walnuts

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out pie crust and place into a 9-inch pie pan. Flute the edges. Sprinkle a layer of chocolate chips into the crust, just enough to cover the bottom. (It doesn’t have to completely fill the crust, and it should be no more than a single layer of chocolate chips—too many will make it difficult to cut the cooled pie!) Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, softened butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Stir in chopped walnuts to completely coat all pieces. Pour carefully over the top of the chocolate chips in the prepared pie crust. Place on a baking sheet (to catch any filling that might bubble over during the baking process), and carefully transfer to the preheated oven.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Then (without opening the oven), reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife inserted ¾ of the way between the edge and center of the pie comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream or your favorite vanilla-based ice cream. (I like pralines and cream for that extra dose of nutty goodness with my pie!) 

Printable PDF Recipes

Challenge Accepted! #KidLitChat Popcorn Pie

Whether we're real-life, in-person friends or just casual acquaintances from social media, if you're here, reading this blog, you probably know me well enough to know a few key facts about me:

1. I love KidLit! From cute and quirky picture books to heart-wrenching middle grade novels to YA books that make you think about the world in new ways (hopefully with a heavy dose of laughter swirled in)... books feed my soul and nourish me in ways that nothing else in this world can.

2. I love a challenge! Most of the diverse skills I've acquired over the years, most of my biggest accomplishments in life, most of the things I am most proud of have been the result of a challenge either explicitly or implicitly given.

3. I can make just about anything into dessert. I always laugh when I see the dieting advice that says if you are easily tempted by sweets, just don't buy them, because you can't be tempted to eat something that you don't have access to. Because I can make a pretty delicious dessert out of ingredients you wouldn't usually categorize as "sweets."

So... a few weeks ago, when I joined the #KidLitChat (Tuesday nights at 9 pm Eastern on the BlueSky social media app), and someone in the chat mentioned once eating a Popcorn Pie, I was intrigued! I love popcorn! And who doesn't love pie?** Of course, we all demanded that they share the recipe, and when they didn't, I quipped that I would just have to create a Popcorn Pie recipe to share! And last Tuesday night, I had a delicious piece of Popcorn Pie to eat while talking about the business side of publishing in #KidLitChat. But just because the pie was finished and ready to eat didn't quite mean I had a recipe to share just yet.

My recipe creation process is much like my writing process for the books I write. The idea sparks with a fully-realized main character (in this case, Popcorn Pie) popping into my head to say hello. Then, I need to sit with them for a few days (or weeks...or sometimes longer) to get to know them well. Who are they? What are they made of, deep down? What surprises will they share with me if I'm patient enough to really listen? What assumptions might someone make when first introduced to them? Are any of those assumptions correct? (And how do I best help the audience to let go of their false assumptions?)

When I feel like I know my main character (in this case, the Popcorn Pie) well enough to really understand what they're made of, the real work and experimentation can begin. With my manuscripts, this is when I pull out my story pencils and a notebook and begin writing the first draft of my novel or picture book. With my recipes, this is when I start pulling ingredients out of the pantry and fridge and tossing them together to create the thing I've imagined. And with both manuscripts and recipes, I am well aware that there will be mistakes and missteps along the way, plenty of opportunities to revise, and maybe even a moment or two when I tweak something in an attempt to make it better and only make it worse. (This is why I keep copies of every draft of my manuscripts--in case I need to revisit the scene I deleted twelve drafts ago--and why I always buy at least double what I think I'll need for a new recipe!)

This messy-draft approach to recipe creation usually means that by the time I have the recipe figured out well enough that I'm ready to share taste tests of the dessert, my page(s) full of notes and scribbles are illegible to most anyone but me (and my children, who all learned how to cook by helping me in the kitchen--and often acted as my scribes when I was in full recipe-creation mode and just yelled out ingredients and quantities as I tossed them into the bowl). So just like a manuscript needs a final once-over to look for typos and missing words before sending it out into the world, I usually have to make the recipe once or twice more to make sure I remember how this messy list of ingredients came together to make the final product.

Now, just in time for tonight's #KidLitChat, I finally have the recipe ready to share, with a few variations for those who might want to do some experimenting of their own!

#KidLitChat Popcorn Pie

1 1/2 c. skim milk

2 bags roasted corn tea

1/2 c. heavy cream

4 egg yolks 

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. buttery popcorn salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbps. butter

4 1/2 c. popcorn

1/2 c. homemade caramel sauce (recipe below will make far more than you need!)

Cooking spray (or a little bit of extra butter--to grease your pie plate)

Whipped cream (make your own, or use the stuff from a can--either way, it's delicious)

Spray your pie plate with cooking spray (I like to use the buttery-flavored spray oil for this, because it gives that tiny extra bit of butter flavor without the extra work of slathering real butter around the pie plate--but either way works. The point is to make sure your caramel corn crust doesn't stick!) 

Pop your favorite popcorn and measure approximately 4 1/2 cups into a large bowl. (Make sure to pick the fluffiest pieces! You don't want to break a tooth biting into an unpopped or half-popped kernel.) Pour 1/2 c. of your caramel sauce over the popcorn and stir to coat thoroughly, then quickly pour the whole thing into your pie plate. Spray your hands lightly with oil (or rub a tiny bit of butter in like lotion--so the caramel doesn't stick to your hands), and then press the caramel corn into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate to form a crust. Set this aside while you make the custard filling. 

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat, just until small bubbles start to form around the edges. (Watch it carefully and do not boil! Milk can burn quickly if left unattended.) Drop in the roasted corn teabags and set aside to steep for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, separate your eggs and place the yolks in a large mixing bowl (save the whites for a yummy omelet in the morning). Add cornstarch, sugar, and popcorn salt, and whisk together well.

Remove teabags from milk (squeeze gently to express the excess milk from the teabags back into the pot) and stir in heavy cream. Return to medium-low heat and stir gently until steam begins to rise. (You may see small bubbles around the edges of the pan, but we aren't really trying to get the milk/cream too warm at this point.)

Remove milk from heat and very slowly pour into the egg mixture (I like to use a ladle to add the milk a small amount at a time), whisking constantly so that the egg doesn't curdle. 

Once the milk is fully incorporated, pour it back into the pan and return to medium-low heat. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. (You'll know it's ready when the custard coats the back of a spoon.) Pour into the caramel corn crust and chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and serve.

Variation #1: The moisture in the custard can make the bottom of the crust a bit soft. If you don't want that, you can melt 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and spread over the caramel corn just after forming the crust, before making the custard. Allow the chocolate to cool and set. This will act as a moisture barrier to keep the custard from soaking into the caramel corn. (If you spread the chocolate too thick, however, it makes the pie difficult to cut into!)

Variation #2: The custard filling has a pleasing buttered popcorn flavor, so if you don't want the added sugar of the caramel corn for your crust, you can use your favorite homemade or store-bought pie crust instead. Simply bake the crust in advance, as you would for any custard pie.

Variation #3: If you can't find the roasted corn tea (I bought mine at Wegman's, and I've also seen it at Korean grocery stores, but I also found it on Amazon, if your local grocer doesn't have it), you can make the custard with popped corn instead. You will need to adjust some of the ingredients for the custard recipe:

2 c. skim milk (instead of the 1 1/2 c. in the original recipe)

5 c. popped corn (instead of the roasted corn teabags)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch (instead of the 1/4 c. in the original recipe)

Place popped corn into a large bowl. (No need to pick out the partially-popped kernels for this part!) Pour the warmed milk over the corn, and stir. The white, fluffy part of the popcorn will melt away into the milk, and it's kind of fun to watch! (This is why it's important to reduce the cornstarch from the original recipe. I didn't think to do this the first time I tried this variation, and it made my custard way too thick!!) Let sit for 10 minutes, as in the original recipe, while you prepare the other ingredients.

Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the milk back into the saucepan. Press lightly with the back of a spoon to get as much of the milk out of the corn as possible. (You may see some of the starchy parts of the corn squeeze through the holes of the strainer into the pan. This is not really a problem, as they're very small and they kind of melt away into the custard anyway.)

Continue with the instructions above to finish making your Popcorn Pie.

Homemade Caramel

1 1lb. brown sugar

1 c. karo syrup

1 stick butter

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt together sugar and corn syrup, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then milk. Return to medium heat and bring back to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Use 1/2 c. to make your caramel corn crust. Transfer the remaining caramel to a glass jar and store in the fridge for future desserts. Or simply make a giant bowl of popcorn and pour the caramel sauce over it all, so you have caramel corn to snack on with your pie (or tomorrow, when you're sad that the pie is all gone).

*Note! If your custard starts to curdle a bit when you're cooking it (if you mixed the hot milk mixture into the eggs too quickly, or if you forget to keep stirring while cooking it afterward...or if the kitchen gods decide to test your patience by throwing a problem into the mix when you're sure you've done everything right, and why won't this turn out the way it's supposed to???) DON'T FRET! Just pour the custard into your blender and give it a spin for a minute or so (or hit it with the immersion blender right in the pan, if you have one of those!) and the lumps will probably melt away. And if not, it will still taste good. (And mistakes just give you an excuse to make another Popcorn Pie later, right?)

**I know there are people who literally don't love pie. You might be one of those people. But honestly, you must admit that most people who have tried it enjoy pie. 

Next up: I've been challenged to create a Cilantro Lime Cookie! I've never failed a recipe challenge yet, but this one will be tricky. (I'm one of the folks with the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap.) Luckily, I have a group of taste-testers ready and willing to sample batches of cookies until I get it right

Looking Beyond the Box: Believing Impossible Things (plus recipe: Sweet & Savory Sandwich Cookie)

*Note: I haven't read the books or watched the movies, and I don't support J.K. Rowling in any way...but this challenge was given to me by one of my favorite people back in the day, so until I get a chance to rename it, it's still tied to that book/movie series...

Of the four cookies in Sister Sanborn’s Hogwarts house cookie challenge, the one that took the most mental energy to create was the Ravenclaw cookie. Which isn’t surprising, since Ravenclaw is known for intelligence, creativity, wit, wisdom, and originality. The cookie to represent the house of Thinkers had to be one that was a bit of a puzzle itself. Flavors that maybe shouldn’t work together, but do.

Some of the most rewarding challenges, in baking as well as in life, are those that encourage you to look at common things in a way you haven’t looked before. When we search outside the box, suddenly all kinds of things that shouldn’t be possible become reality.

One of my favorite passages in literature is this exchange between Alice and the White Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

   "I can't believe that!" said Alice.
   "Can't you?" the Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."
   Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."
   "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Experimenting with out of the box flavor combinations, or alternate applications for common objects is a good way to practice believing impossible things. And believing in impossible things is the best way to turn the impossible into reality.

So when I took on this part of the challenge, I set out to deliberately “believe impossible things.” I started pulling out all of the savory spices from my pantry that I had never thought to use for cookies before, and then I began looking for those surprising combinations that might work. Obviously, the Ravenclaw cookie should have savory elements to please the palate in a puzzling way, but it had to be deliberate, not just a muddied mess of flavors.

I thought of the garlic ice cream that I tasted years ago at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. (Seriously, it was the best vanilla-based ice cream I’ve ever tasted – who knew garlic could pair so well with sweet foods??) But a simple garlic cookie didn’t seem right either. This cookie needed layers of complexity … and what better way to achieve layers than with a sandwich cookie? One that paired multiple flavors – flavors that worked together in smaller combinations (garlic and basil, garlic and lemon, lemon and vanilla …), but wouldn’t generally be found all at once.

So here it is: a sandwich cookie that combines two different, but complementary, slightly-savory cookies into one surprisingly sweet treat.

Sweet and Savory Sandwich Cookie

You will need:

1 Lemon Basil Cookie (see recipe below)

1 Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookie (see recipe below)

Vanilla Buttercream Icing (see recipe below)

Assemble the Ravenclaw Cookies:

Spread vanilla buttercream frosting on the bottom of one lemon basil cookie.

Press together with one garlic chocolate chip cookie.

Repeat until all of the cookies are paired into a batch of puzzling, yet utterly delicious sandwich cookies.

Lemon Basil Cookies

You will need:

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. lemon extract

4 c. flour

(opt) 1 c. crasins*

Cream together butter and sugar.

Mix in eggs, baking powder, basil, salt, and lemon extract. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add flour, and mix thoroughly to combine.

Form into ½-inch balls, place on parchment-lined cookie sheet, and press flat slightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool completely on wire cooling rack. Set aside to assemble Ravenclaw cookies.

*Variation: If baking as a stand-alone cookie (not part of the Ravenclaw sandwich cookie), you may wish to stir in 1 c. craisins before portioning the dough.

Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will need:

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

4 c. flour

1 pkg. chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, baking powder, garlic, salt, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

Mix in flour, then stir in chocolate chips.

Form into ½-inch balls, place on parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, until edges are just lightly golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Set aside while you make the buttercream frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting 

If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy it from the store, but homemade is so easy to make and tastes so much better!

You will need:

½ c. butter (or margarine – but butter tastes better and holds up better in the frosting)

Approximately ½ powdered sugar (to taste)

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Several drops blue food coloring (optional)

Cream butter.

Add powdered sugar. Mix in at lowest speed until fully incorporated, then beat until light and fluffy. (If the frosting is not sweet enough for your tastes, or you want it a little thicker, you can add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until it is the desired consistency and sweetness.)

Mix in vanilla extract and food coloring.